Lead AI Software Developer

Description

Leidos is seeking a

Lead AI Software Developer

to join the

Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector , supporting the development of the

Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP) . L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation platform built on a

hybrid cloud data mesh architecture , enabling next-generation air traffic management capabilities. As part of a

large-scale Scaled Agile (SAFe) software development organization , you will serve as a

technical leader and strategic architect , shaping enterprise data solutions that bridge mission needs, systems engineering rigor, and modern Agile delivery.

In this position, you will design and implement software solutions independently while working closely with systems engineering, product delivery, and DevSecOps teams. The primary focus is on developing microservices-based applications within an

Agile/SAFe environment.

Experience with

AI-enabled or data-driven systems

is advantageous. This position supports government programs and requires the ability to

obtain and maintain a favorable Public Trust investigation.

This role focuses on building and modernizing real-time, safety-critical systems using a combination of traditional systems engineering and AI-augmented software development practices. You’ll work on software that directly supports national air traffic operations, applying AI tools to accelerate development, improve quality, and enhance system reliability.

This position is located in either

Gaithersburg, MD or Egg Harbor Township, NJ . This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that impact millions of air travelers.

This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days working from home.

What You’ll Do:

Design, develop, and maintain

microservices-based applications

using modern software engineering best practices

Collaborate with product owners, architects, and engineers in an

Agile/SAFe environment

Participate in sprint planning, daily standups, reviews, and retrospectives

Collaborate with systems engineering and program teams to translate requirements into working software solutions

Develop clean, maintainable, and testable code following CI/CD and DevSecOps practices

Contribute to system design discussions and technical decision-making

Integrate services with databases, messaging systems, and external APIs

Support troubleshooting, performance tuning, and continuous improvement

Work closely with QA, DevOps, and platform teams to ensure reliable delivery

Implement modern automated testing strategies, including unit, integration, contract, and end-to-end testing

Use

AI-assisted development tools

to accelerate coding, refactoring, debugging, and test creation

Core Technical Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree

in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience)

4+ years of relevant experience

or a Master's Degree and 2+ years of relevant experience

Hands-on experience building and supporting

microservices-based systems

Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Java, Python, C++, or similar on a Linux-based system)

Effectively leverage AI-assisted engineering tools to understand unfamiliar codebases, analyze system behavior, develop implementation strategies, accelerate development, and improve software quality.

Experience or exposure to

AI/ML-enabled systems

(Claude-Code) ,

automation, or intelligent platforms.

Ability to analyze and understand large, complex software systems with many interacting components.

Analyze existing software interfaces and data flows to implement new capabilities within a complex distributed system.

Experience enhancing and maintaining existing software systems while preserving operational stability.

Ability to abstract complex implementation details into higher-level architectural concepts and communicate those concepts effectively.

Experience working in

Agile environments

Understanding of APIs and distributed system concepts

Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust

U.S. citizenship required

Successful completion of background investigations as required by the government customer

Preferred / Desired Qualifications:

Experience with large-scale distributed systems

Experience working with safety-critical or high-availability software

Experience reverse-engineering existing software designs

Experience integrating with legacy systems

Experience reading and understanding large existing codebases

Experience with Git-based version control and CI/CD pipelines

Familiarity with

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Experience working with

relational and/or NoSQL databases

Hands-on experience with

Kafka or other event-streaming technologies

Cloud experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

Containerization and orchestration experience (Docker, Kubernetes)

Experience working in DevSecOps environments

Experience with test automation frameworks and integration of automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines

Why Leidos?

You’ll work on systems where performance, precision, and reliability matter — every second. This is not experimental AI for prototypes. This is disciplined, responsible AI applied to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure.

If you’re excited by solving complex problems in regulated, real-world environments — and using AI as a force multiplier rather than a shortcut — we’d like to talk.

ATMC

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

July 20, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit .

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at .

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system – never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at .

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the .

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

#Remote